New Zealand's Sophie Devine To Relinquish Captaincy After Women's T20 World Cup

Women's T20 World Cup 2024: New Zealand's T20I captain Sophie Devine is all set to step down from the position after the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup, which will be held in the UAE. She has led the team in 56 T20Is, of which they have won 25 matches, lost 28, and one match ended in a tie. She led the side for a few matches between 2014 and 15 and then became the full-time captain by replacing Amy Sattherwaite in 2020.

Devine, who also represents RCB in the WPL, admitted that she wanted to manage her workload and also contribute to developing future stars.

"I'm very proud to have had the privilege to captain the White Ferns in both formats. With captaincy comes an additional workload that, while I've enjoyed taking on, can also be challenging at times,” Devine was quoted as saying in a statement.

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"Stepping away from the T20 captaincy will take a bit off my plate so I can focus more of my energy on my playing role and nurturing the future leaders,” she revealed.

'Not ready to give up ODI captaincy'

But at the same time, she will continue to lead the 50-over squad, especially at the Women's ODI World Cup, which will be held next year in India.

"I'm not ready to give up ODI captaincy just yet. But I won't be around forever, so I think stepping away from captaining one format at a time gives the next leaders time to find their feet," she concluded.

She was last seen in action in the Women's Hundred tournament, representing Birmingham Phoenix. She had scored 117 runs after playing in six matches and her highest individual score was 37 but went wicketless after bowling in 13 overs. She is currently undergoing rehab due to a foot injury.

The Black Fern's stint at the upcoming mega-event would begin on October 4, Friday at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.